Kulmbach
Kulmbach
Location of the town of Kulmbach within Kulmbach district
Coordinates	50°06′N 11°26′E / 50.1°N 11.43333°E / 50.1; 11.43333Coordinates: 50°06′N 11°26′E / 50.1°N 11.43333°E / 50.1; 11.43333
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Admin. region	Upper Franconia
District	Kulmbach
Town subdivisions	37 Ortsteile
Mayor	Henry Schramm (CSU)
Basic statistics
Area	92.77 km2 (35.82 sq mi)
Elevation	325 m  (1066 ft)
Population	26,768 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	289 /km2 (747 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	KU
Postal codes	95312–95326
Area code	09221
Website	www.stadt-kulmbach.de

Kulmbach is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town is famous for Plassenburg Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier museum in the world, and for its famous sausages, or Bratwürste.

Geography[link]

Location[link]

Kulmbach is located in the middle of the Bavarian province of Upper Franconia, about 15.5 miles (25 km) northwest of the city of Bayreuth. To the south of Kulmbach, the River Main begins at the confluence of its headstreams, the White Main and Red Main.

Town districts[link]

Kulmbach is divided into the following districts (with population in brackets):

History[link]

From about 900 AD there was a small settlement in what is now the district of Spiegel, which consisted of a forest lodge and a fortified tenant farm (Fronhof) to protect the River Main crossing at Grünwehr. The area later passed into the hands of the Count of Schweinfurt, whose power was usually exercised through the office of the walpode.

Kulmbach was first mentioned as Kulma in a deed of gift in the Alcuin Bible between 1028 and 1040. The name comes from a stream that comes descends the mountain (Culmin-aha, Culmna). This stream was later renamed Kohlenbach due to a misunderstanding.

When the male line of the Schweinfurt counts died out, Kulmbach passed to the Dießen line of the Andechs family through the marriage of the Schweinfurts' daughter and heiress, Gisela, to Count Arnold of Dießen.

The counts acquired other lands around Kulmbach, built the first fort, the Plassenburg, in the first third of the twelfth century and founded a market town and a church in today's upper town (Obere Stadt). In 1180 the House of Andechs was elevated to an imperial princedom by the Emperor Barbarossa and given the title of Duke of Merania after the town of Marano between Venice and Trieste (now Marano Lagunare).

Around 1231 Kulmbach was granted town rights. In place of the old Plassenburg, the site of which is unclear, the dukes built a new castle on a hill spur above Kulmbach. The rule of the Meranian family ended with the last Duke of Merania, Otto II, who died childless in 1248.

The Plassenburg from above

After years of inheritance disputes the castle of Plassenburg and hence rule over Kulmbach went in 1260 to the Thuringian counts of Orlamünde. The Orlamündes finished the new Plassenburg castle and founded the monastery of Himmelkron. Later, they pledged the castle and town. In 1340, after the death of the last Orlamünde, pursuant to an agreement, the burggraves of Nuremberg, members of the Hohenzollern family, took over Kulmbach and Plassenburg.

Until the 17th century, Plassenburg was the residence of the burggrave office or Amt. Later it was the Amt for the Hohenzollern Principality of Kulmbach (also: Brandenburg-Kulmbach or, after 1604, Brandenburg-Bayreuth). As a result of its favourable location on the historic and 'escorted' roads to Bamberg, Nuremberg, Eger, Hof and Leipzig trade in the town flourished - guilds were formed for the weavers, dyers and silk embroiderers. In 1398, 1500 to 2000 inhabitants lived in Kulmbach; this can be seen from a burggraviate inventory of land, houses and taxes. The town was ruled by a lordly Vogt or sheriff, the mayor and a council of prominent citizens.

As a result of the transfer of the princely privilege in 1363, and the electorate and the March of Brandenburg in 1415, all subsequent Franconian Hohenzollerns called themselves Margraves of Brandenburg-Kulmbach. From 1411 to 1529 Kulmbach townsfolk stood as chancellors at the head of the administration for the March of Brandenburg (Dr. Frederick Sesselmann, Sigismund Zehrer and Sebastian Stublinger).

On 31 January 1430 the Hussites sacked the town.

In the course of rebuilding the town, which had been largely destroyed, St. Peter's Church was rebuilt in late Gothic style. It was here that the first Protestant church service was celebrated under Margrave George the Pious in 1528.

The belligerent margrave, Albert Alcibiades, wanted to bring all Franks under his rule and set up a Frankish duchy. So he moved to oppose the bishoprics of Bamberg and Würzburg, whose rulers allied themselves with the Free Imperial City of Nuremberg. In the Second Margrave War, this alliance invaded Kulmbach on St. Conrad's Day (named after Saint Conrad of Constance), 26 November 1553, and plundered the city. On 21 October 1554 the Plassenburg, whose garrison had hitherto held out against their enemy, was also set on fire and destroyed. The battle is recreated in the German Tin Soldiers Museum in Kulmbach.^[2]

View over Kulmbach, Plassenburg and the town centre (Innenstadt)

From 1557 the town was rebuilt under the new margrave, George Frederick. In 1559 the reconstruction of the Plassenburg, one of the most important Renaissance buildings in Germany, began. However, George Frederick's successor, Margrave Christian, moved the location of his Residenz in 1604 to neighbouring Bayreuth as the Plassenburg no longer fulfilled the ideas of courtly absolutism, and the expansion of the castle came to an end. Nevertheless, the margravial residence returned to Kulmbach several times, once, in 1605, due to a fire in the city of Bayreuth and then again, for safety, during the Thirty Years War. Kulmbach was also burned as a Protestant town by imperial troops, but the Plassenburg proved impregnable.

Finally, in 1642, the residence was moved permanently to Bayreuth, and Kulmbach lost its political importance. As a result, little of significance happened here in the years that followed. When Margrave Charles Frederick Alexander sold the March of Brandenburg-Bayreuth to his cousin, the King of Prussia, on account of his lover, Lady Elizabeth Craven, Kulmbach, too, became Prussian, and the Plassenburg was used in the years that followed as a camp for French prisoners of war. Since the Plassenburg represented an obstacle to French and Bavarian forces advancing against Prussia in 1806, the town of Kulmbach was occupied in October and November that year. After the capitulation of its Prussian garrison, the castle was slighted in order to render it militarily useless.

Finally, Kulmbach was granted to Bavaria in 1810. In 1846 it was connected to the King Ludwig South-North Railway. This resulted in a tremendous economic boom - particularly for the breweries - as their products could now be readily exported. So the number of breweries grew to 26 in 1882. In 1890 Kulmbach was elected as a free (kreisunmittelbar) town. In 1933, the NSDAP seized power in Kulmbach and the Imperial School of German Technology (Reichsschule der deutschen Technik) was established in the Plassenburg. As a result Kulmbach was even given an additional motorway junction which is now the start of today's A 70 autobahn. In early 1945, Kulmbach was captured by American troops without a fight. In the local government reforms of 1972, the districts of Kulmbach and Stadtsteinach were merged and Kulmbach is now the county town.

Historic view of Kulmbach

Politics[link]

Mayors[link]

• 1946–1958: Georg Hagen, SPD
• 1958–1970: Wilhelm Murrmann, FWG
• 1970–1994: Dr. Erich Stammberger, Wählergemeinschaft Kulmbach (WGK)
• 1994–2007: Inge Aures, SPD
• since 2007: Henry Schramm, CSU

Town council[link]

The local elections of 2002 and 2008 resulted in the following representation on the town council:

Twinned towns[link]

• Bursa, Turkey since 1998
• Kilmarnock, Scotland since 1974
• Lüneburg, Germany, Lower-Saxony since 1967
• Lugo, Italy since 1974
• Rust, Austria since 1981
• Saalfeld, Germany, Thuringia since 1988

Leisure, culture and places of interest[link]

Culinary specialities[link]

The Kulmbacher Genossenschaftsbrauerei common brewery in an old mill

Besides the usual Upper Franconian specialties, there is Kulmbacher Bratwurst sausage which consists of a very fine ground pork and is served in aniseed rolls, the so-called Stölla. These sausages may be eaten at one of the many sausage stalls in the town. Known far beyond the town itself is the strong beer known as EKU 28, brewed by the Kulmbacher Brauerei, which for years was regarded as the strongest beer in the world. Kulmbach has also earned a reputation as a food centre thanks to the Max Rubner Institute (Federal Agency for Food Safety, formerly the Federal Institute for Meat Research), which has come to prominence since the BSE scandal.

Sport and Recreation[link]

• The club, ATS Kulmbach 1861, is one of the oldest and largest sports clubs in Bavaria.
• Kulmbach Airfield (Kulmbacher Flugplatz ) EDQK

Museums[link]

Flags in Kulmbach's Altstadt during the beer festival

• Plassenburg museums:
  • German Tin Soldier Museum in the Plassenburg, with more than 300,000 tin figures
  • Frederick the Great Army Museum (Armeemuseum Friedrich der Große)
  • Upper Main Landscape Museum (Landschaftsmuseum Obermain) with a replica of the Ebstorf Map, and displays covering the Reformation, the Destruction of Kulmbach in 1553 and the Reconstruction of the Old Residenz Town. In the Pörbitsch Treasure, discovered in 1912, during construction work, there are gold and silver dishes belonging to the wealthy merchant family, Gutteter that had it buried in their garden during the Thirty Years War.
• The Public Bath House (Badhaus) is one of eight scientifically researched public baths in Germany. The bathing hall, changing and rest rooms, pre-bath and boiler room have been restored and give an impression of bathing in the Middle Ages. On an open gallery on the upper floor works by young artists in the region are exhibited.^[3]
• Bavarian Brewery and Bakery Museum (Bayerisches Brauerei- und Bäckereimuseum). Beer has been brewed in Kulmbach's Mönchshof ("monastery") for over 600 years. On the site of the former Mönchshof Brewery, there is now the Mönchshof Restaurant with a large beer garden and the museum. Various information boards and historical machinery, bottles and other equipment give an insight into Bavarian brewing. The museum itself is in a small glass brewery. Visitors are given a small (0.2 litre) glass of museum beer at the end of their visit.
• Alter Friedhof Open-Air Museum (Freilichtmuseum "Alter Friedhof")

Buildings[link]

Entrance to the Spitalkirche

The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady (also called ULF) on the Schießgraben.

• The Plassenburg is one of the greatest Renaissance castles in Germany. It is also the origin of the legend of the White Lady.
• Kulmbach's town hall (Rathaus) was built in 1752. Plans for the rococo façade came from Bayreuth's royal master builder, Joseph Saint-Pierre. The previous town hall, later demolished, dated to the period between 1500 and 1530 and was destroyed during the Second Margrave War.^[4]
• The Public Bath House (Badhaus) is first mentioned in the records in 1398. It was scientifically researched and restored. Today part of the building serves as an art gallery.^[5]
• The White Tower was built in the 14th century to protect the town wall. Its present appearance dates to the 17th century. The tower was used until the 19th century as a debtor's prison. As part of Kulmbach's town wall the White Tower belongs to the town fortifications of the early 14th century. Like the neighbouring fortified tower of Bürgerloch, the White Tower is a double-towered gateway.^[6]
• The Luitpold fountain was built in 1898 to a design by architect, Martin Düfler. Previously the Zinnsfeld fountain, built in 1660 and symbolising the town's market freedoms, stood on the same spot. It is now in the Holzmarkt. During the Nazi era the fountain was dismantled and stored, but rebuilt in 1994. Surrounded by the town hall, market square, numerous cafés and shops it forms one of the social centrepieces of Kulmbach.^[6]
• The Red Tower goes back to around 1300 and was part of the old town fortifications. One feature is its roof construction with a curved spire.^[7]
• St. Peter's Church (Petrikirche) is a former fortified church, whose origins are uncertain. The church tower used to act as a cannon platform, it was later given a pointed roof. After the Hussite War of 1439 it was remodelled as a Late Gothic hall church. In 1878/80 the interior was decorated in the Gothic Revival style. Noteworthy are the altar by Brenk and Schlehdorn, and numerous valuable paintings. It is also the basilica of the Hohenzollern rulers.^[8]
• The hospital church (Spitalkirche) was built in 1738/1739 on the site of St. Elizabeth's Chapel.^[9]
• The Langheim Amtshof was built at the end of the 17th century by Leonhard Dientzenhofer. Today it is an educational establishment for the Academy for New Media and technical high school for pharmacy technicians.
• The Heilingschwert Tower from the 14th century is a round "shell tower" (Schalenturm), part of the town fortifications on the Schießgraben.^[10]
• The old cemetery with its many gravestones that underpin the history of the town. In front of the old cemetery on the main road is a memorial to the fallen.
• The Burggüter or fortified buildings of Kulmbach

• 

  The Red Tower

• 

  St. Peter's

Regular events[link]

• Volksfest ("Folk festival") in April on the Festplatz at the Schwedensteg
• The Bavarian Police organize a motorcycle rally to Kulmbach every spring in collaboration with Radio Antenne Bayern. It is the largest motorcycle meeting in southern Germany and the tenth one took place in 2010.
• The Kulmbach Volksfest in May
• The three-day Altstadtfest ("old town festival") in June in wide areas of the town centre (Innenstadt).
• The Blaicher Kerwa in June
• On St. Gregori's Day in July schoolchildren from all of Kulmbach's primary schools assemble in the town square (Rathausplatz) and celebrate the Gregori Festival.
• Since 1939 the Kulmbach Beer Week has been staged at the end of July and beginning of August by the brewery, Kulmbacher Brauerei. The brewery, one of the largest in Germany, was founded in Kulmbach and made it famous for its beer. The town is also known as "The secret capital of beer".
• On Christmas Eve the townsfolk and former townsfolk of Kulmbach meet in the morning for Frühschoppen in the Upper Town (Oberen Stadt). The roads are closed and several thousand visitors go in order to meet friends and relatives whom they have not seen for a long time.

Transport[link]

• Railway station with connexions to Hof, Bamberg, Würzburg, Bayreuth, Lichtenfels and Saalfeld/Saale, formerly also Bayreuth Altstadt–Kulmbach railway
• Junctions on the B 85 (Berga/Elster–Passau), B 289 (Coburg–Rehau) and six kilometres away near Untersteinach B 303 (Schweinfurt–Fichtelgebirge–Schirnding) federal roads, as well as on the A 9 (Munich–Berlin) and A 70 motorways (Bayreuth–Schweinfurt)
• Kulmbach Airfield (506 m above NN) with asphalt runway (719x30 m) about 3 kilometres north of Kulmbach (306 m above NN).

Economy[link]

Kulmbach has traditionally been a manufacturing base for the drinks and food industry. Relatively recently it has become a home to biotechnical pharmaceuticals in the shape of Roche Kulmbach GmbH (previously Alnylam Europe AG), as well as the construction and management of hot water and air conditioning equipment, heat pumps, storage and direct heating equipment, such as that made by Glen Dimplex. "AGO" specialises in biomasse and cogeneration power stations.

Famous personalities[link]

Kulmbach Town Hall with the traditional beer barrels on the occasion of the Beer Festival

Honorary citizens[link]

See List of honorary citizens of Kulmbach

Famous people born in Kulmbach[link]

• John Charles Meussdorffer I (born April 9, 1823; died December 3, 1894); Created one of the first hat manufacturing businesses in San Francisco.^[11]
• Friedrich Sesselmann (born around 1410; died 21 September 1483 in Kamenz); 1445–83 chancellor of the Electorate of Brandenburg, 1455–83 Bishop of Lebus
• Kaspar Preyel (born ?; died 28 July 1517); 1504–17 auxiliary bishop in Bamberg and titular bishop of Athyra (appointed by Pope Julius II)
• Pankraz Gutteter (born 1472; died 1532 in Krakau); long-distance trader
• Hans Suess, also Hans von Kulmbach (born around 1480; died around 1522 in Nuremberg); artist and graphic designer of the Albrecht Dürer school
• Ludwig Agricola (born around 1508; died after 1540); thelogian, reformer
• Caspar Vischer (born around 1510; died 10 August 1579); senior builder and engineer for the margrave, George Frederick, during the rebuilding of the Plassenburg; heavily involved in the rebuilding of Kulmbach after its devastation in the Second Margrave War
• Jakob Ellrod (born 7 November 1601; died 28 July 1671 in Gefrees); priest, astronomer and mathematician, ancestor of the Reichsfreiherr family of Ellrod
• Sigmund Theophil Staden (baptised 6 November 1607; buried 30 July 1655 in Nuremberg); organist, composer, wait, artist and poet. Composer of the oldest fully preserved German opera, Das geistlich Waldgedicht oder Freudenspiel, genant Seelewig (UA Nuremberg 1644; librettist: Georg Philipp Harsdörffer)
• Johann Georg Hoffmann (born 6 April 1705; died 29 October 1778); castle master builder
• Johann Peter Apollonius Weltrich (born 30 April 1781; died 23 August 1850); treasurer, carried out historic and scientific research
• Johann Adam Ries (born 16 October 1813; died 16 October 1898 in Munich); coin engraver, punchcutter and graphic designer at the Münzhof in Munich
• Fritz Huther (born 28 April 1827; died 28 Januar 1899); artist and Kunsterzieher
• Johann Karl Hetz (born 11 November 1828; died 5 August 1899 in Munich); artist, professor and teacher in Munich
• Johann Christoph Lauterbach (born 27 July 1832; died 28 March 1918 in Dresden); violin virtuoso, conzertmaster, conservatorium teacher, privy councillor in Dresden
• Johannes Kaulfuß (born 17 July 1859; died 15 February 1947); scientist, specialist in mosses and lichens
• Michel Weiß (born 19 September 1867; died 10 April 1951); artist, numerous paintings of Kulmbach and its countryside
• Hans Wilsdorf (born 22 March 1881; died 6 July 1960 in Geneva); businessman, founder of Rolex
• Georg Hagen (born 12 September 1887; died 18 November 1958 in Munich); German politician (SPD)
• Fritz Schuberth (born 28 July 1897; died 16 February 1977); German politician (NSDAP) and SS Oberführer
• Nikolaus Wehner (born 26 February 1901; died 19 July 1942 in Totschkowo, USSR), politician (NSDAP)
• Philipp Zeitler (1901–1984), alderman of Würzburg
• Wilhelm Murrmann (born 24 September 1907; died 20 October 1975); lord mayor (FWG)
• Karl Herold (born 6 November 1921; died 1 September 1977); German politician (SPD)
• Horst Lohse (born 16 March 1943); composer, founder and artistic director of the “Days of New Music” in Bamberg
• Heiner Keupp (born 16 Juni 1943); social psychologist and professor
• Philipp Simon Goletz alias Frankensima (born 27 September 1954); entertainer, author and musician
• Jürgen Teipel (born 29 July 1961); journalist and playwright^[12]
• Bernd Förtsch (born 1962); founder and owner of the trade magazine Der Aktionär, operator of the Deutschen Anleger Fernsehens DAF
• Alexander Herrmann (born 1971); celebrity and TV chef

Famous people with links to Kulmbach[link]

• Matthias Tretzscher (1626–1686), organ maker
• Johann Christoph Stierlein (born 11 April 1759; died 2 July 1827), cartographer
• Caspar Walter Rauh (born 13 October 1912; died 7 October 1983), artist and illustrator, lived in Kulmbach from 1955
• Thomas Gottschalk (born 1950), TV presenter
• Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (born 1971), former Federal Minister for Defence, represented the town in the Bundestag from 2002 until March 2011; he resigned when extensive plagiarism was discovered in his doctoral thesis

Margraves of Brandenburg-Kulmbach[link]

• See Hohenzollern or Brandenburg-Kulmbach

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Deutscher Städteatlas (1989). Band: IV; 9 Teilband. Acta Collegii Historiae Urbanae Societatis Historicorum Internationalis - Serie C. Im Auftrag des Kuratoriums für vergleichende Städtegeschichte e.V. und mit Unterstützung der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft, hrsg. von Heinz Stoob †, Wilfried Ehbrecht, Jürgen Lafrenz und Peter Johannek. Stadtmappe Kulmbach, Author: Friedrich Bernward Fahlbusch. ISBN 3-89115-039-3, Dortmund-Altenbeken 1989.
• Bogner, Franz X. (2006). Der Obermain. Ein Luftbildporträt von Bayreuth bis Bamberg. Ellwanger-Verlag, Bayreuth, ISBN 3-925361-57-X.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kulmbach

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Kulmbach in the Topographia Franconiae (Mathäus Merian)

• Kulmbach official home page
• From the History of Kulmbach (Upper Main Landscape Museum)
• Live webcam with view of the market square
• Kulmbach: History of the coat-of-arms from HdBG
• History of Kulmbach: [1]

v t e Towns and municipalities in Kulmbach Grafengehaig Guttenberg Harsdorf Himmelkron Kasendorf Ködnitz Kulmbach Kupferberg Ludwigschorgast Mainleus Marktleugast Marktschorgast Neudrossenfeld Neuenmarkt Presseck Rugendorf Stadtsteinach Thurnau Trebgast Untersteinach Wirsberg Wonsees

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Its only attribution is to IMDb, which may not be a reliable source for biographical information. Please help by adding additional, reliable sources for verification. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2007)

Thomas Gottschalk
Thomas Gottschalk, 2010
Born	(1950-05-18) 18 May 1950 (age 62) Bamberg

Thomas Johannes Gottschalk (born 18 May 1950) is a German TV host. He is best known for hosting the popular show Wetten, dass..?, which he has led to a huge success in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol.

Early life[link]

Gottschalk was born in the German city of Bamberg, Upper Franconia as the son of a lawyer. After attending the Humanistisches Gymnasium (humanities-oriented high school) in Kulmbach, he studied history and German philology, eventually taking his exams as a teacher for primary and secondary schools; however, it was during this time that he discovered his true vocation: entertainment.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

From 1971 on, Gottschalk worked as a freelancer for the youth program of the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting); in 1973, he became anchor for a news program. In 1976, after a brief detour to the newspaper Münchner Merkur, he became a regular employee of the Bayerischer Rundfunk, and subsequently gained popularity as the host of the show Pop nach acht. He was awarded the Kurt-Magnus-Preis for his "outstanding talents" as a radio host in 1978.

His career continued with him hosting the TV show Telespiele from 1977 onwards; the show was first broadcast on the Bayerischer Rundfunk's television channel, and switched to the national public ARD channel in 1980. From 1982 to 1987, Gottschalk hosted the show Na sowas on ZDF, and was subsequently awarded the Goldene Kamera (golden camera) in 1985.

Gottschalk quickly gained popularity, a trend that only increased when he replaced Frank Elstner as a host on Wetten, dass..? in 1987, which he continued until Dec. 3, 2011, with only a brief interruption from 1992 to 1994 when the show was taken over by Wolfgang Lippert. He officially withdrew from hosting the show, largely due to an accident on Wetten, dass..?. This incident unfortunately led to a young gymnast paralyzed from the shoulders down after being hit by a car he was proposing to jump over on spring-like contraptions. After his final performance on Wetten, dass..? and following a very moving final speech, Thomas promised his audience to remain faithful to show business.

From 1992 to 1995, Gottschalk also hosted a late night show on television, Gottschalk Late Night, and while it was not very successful, it paved the way for other shows such as the Harald Schmidt Show, TV Total and the Johannes B. Kerner Show. Gottschalk Late Night also featured the Model '92 Competition during 1992, in which Heidi Klum was the winner and received a modeling contract and winning prize, paving the way for her modeling career.

Gottschalk has been awarded a number of prizes for his work; apart from those mentioned above. These include the Telestar in 1987, the Goldenes Schlitzohr (golden rascal) and the Goldenes Kabel (golden cable) in 1991, as well as the Goldene Feder (golden feather) in 2001. He also received a total of three Bambi awards, which he gave back in 1988 after a dispute with the publisher Burda; however, in 2001, he was awarded a "Bambi of honor" which he accepted.

Personal life[link]

Gottschalk has been married to his wife Thea since 1976. He has two sons, Roman and Tristan and one grandson (born 2010).

Gottschalk has also starred in several films during his career, with varying success. In November 2004, he bought Castle Marienfels in Remagen, Germany, where he currently lives. He has had a secondary residence in Malibu, California, since the beginning of the 1990s.

As of 2007, according to Guinness World Records, he is the host of the longest running ad featuring one person; since 1991 he has appeared in ads for the sweets company Haribo.

On 20 November 2008 he won €1 million for charity in a celebrity version of Wer wird Millionär?, the German version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

Filmography[link]

• Piratensender Powerplay (1981)
• Die Supernasen (1983)
• Zwei Nasen tanken Super (1984)
• Die Einsteiger (1985)
• Zärtliche Chaoten (1987, English as Lovable zanies)
• Think Big (1990)
• Eine Frau namens Harry (1990, English as Harry and Harriette)
• Trabbi goes to Hollywood (1991, English as Driving me crazy)
• Sister Act 2 (1993) – Gottschalk starred as a consequence of leading actress Whoopi Goldberg losing a bet in Gottschalk's gameshow Wetten, dass..? He plays the sausage-obsessed German cook.
• Late Show (1999)
• 1½ Knights – In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde (2008)
• Zookeeper (2011)

External links[link]

• Thomas Gottschalk at the Internet Movie Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2009)

Dieter Bohlen
Dieter Bohlen live in Moscow 2009
Background information
Birth name	Dieter Günter Bohlen
Also known as	Eric Styx, Countdown G.T.O, Harvey Howard, Steve Benson[1] Ryan Simmons[2]
Born	(1954-02-07) 7 February 1954 (age 58)
Origin	Berne, Lower Saxony, Germany
Genres	Pop Eurodance Europop Euro disco
Occupations	Songwriter Musician Record producer Singer
Years active	1978–2010 (singer) 1978–present (songwriter and producer)
Labels	BMG
Associated acts	Modern Talking (Thomas Anders), Blue System, C. C. Catch, Anna Garcia (Sheree), Bonnie Bianco, Chris Norman, Bonnie Tyler, Les McKeown, Dionne Warwick, Smokie, Mary Roos, Marianne Rosenberg, Nino de Angelo, Mark Medlock, Al Martino, Yvonne Catterfeld, Touche, Tony Wegas, The Teens, Roy Black, Errol Brown, Engelbert Humperdinck, Bernd Clüver, Monza, Sunday, Alexander Klaws, Daniel Küblböck, Mehrzad Marashi, Pietro Lombardi, Sarah Engels

Dieter Günter Bohlen (* 7 February 1954, Berne, Lower Saxony, near Oldenburg) is a German songwriter, singer, musician, producer, entertainer, TV personality, and writer. Bohlen is best known for being part of popular pop-duo Modern Talking during 1984–1987 and 1998–2003.

Biography[link]

Bohlen took his Abitur in Oldenburg. His father was a supplier to the construction business. In 1978 Dieter Bohlen was member of the band Monza. In 1981 he was member of trio Sunday, and they had a hit "Hale Hey Louise", which has been covered by Ricky King and others. From 1984 to 1987 and from 1998 to 2003, Bohlen was one half of the pop duo Modern Talking as producer, songwriter and composer. From 1985 to 1988 he produced and wrote songs for the disco singer C. C. Catch.

In 1988, Dieter Bohlen signed 15 year old singer Anna Garcia whose stage name was "Sheree".^[3] Her record did not make a great impression on the German charts.

After the first split-up of Modern Talking in 1987, Bohlen formed Blue System. For most projects Bohlen had session singers for background vocals to produce a high-pitched chorus. He frequently worked the studio with the producer Luis Rodríguez. Rivalen Der Rennbahn is a soundtrack written by Bohlen. It was one of the best-selling albums in 1989 in Germany. Bohlen produced the German boygroup Touché which was founded by one of the group's five members, Karim Maataoui. In 1986, Bohlen wrote and produced Chris Norman's "Midnight Lady" for an episode of the German crime show Tatort. This song that became a major hit in central Europe.

He has been a judge on all the seasons of the talent show Deutschland sucht den Superstar and has worked with acts discovered in the show to yield several major hits. He is criticized for controversial and insulting comments ("You sing like a garden gnome on ecstasy", "Your voice sounds like Kermit getting his ass kicked"). Bohlen has also released five books. Two of these are autobiographical and describe his career, romantic involvements and experiences with singers. The first book was an unprecedented success in Germany. Both books were also released as audio books.

In 2006, Bohlen released an album called Dieter: Der Film that was a soundtrack to the movie of the same name.

He has also been a judge the talent show Das Supertalent, the German version of Britain's Got Talent. He is the only judge to be in all the show's series.

Bohlen is the only foreigner ever given the title People's Artist of the USSR (in 1989).^[4]

Personal life[link]

Dieter was the son of Edith and Hans Bohlen. He has a sibling, a younger brother named Uwe. He was educated in Oldenberg, Göttingen and Hamburg, culminating in an Economics degree. Bohlen was married to Erika Sauerland from 1983 to 1994 and has three children from this marriage, Marc, Marvin Benjamin and Marielin. Even before he was legally divorced, he lived with – but never married – his new girlfriend Nadja Abd el Farrag, nicknamed Naddel, a pharmaceutical laboratory assistant; she was a background dancer for Blue System at that time. In 1996, he married model and singer Verona Feldbusch but divorced her after thirty days, propelling Verona to celebrity status (she went on to host television shows such as Peep and Veronas Welt). After breaking up with Verona, he eventually returned to Naddel, but the two split up again in 2000. Bohlen and Naddel both confirmed that Bohlen suffered a penile fracture at one of their encounters.^[5] Later, Bohlen lived with the 1979 born model Stefanie Küster until 2006. They have one son, Maurice, born mid-2005. He met his current girlfriend Carina in Majorca, Spain, where one of the casting events for Deutschland sucht den Superstar (the German version of Pop Idol) was held. Amelie, was born in 2011, their first child together and Bohlen's fifth child. Bohlen lives in the village of Tötensen near Hamburg.

Discography[link]

No. 1 Hits in Germany[link]

Artists with Bohlen as producer (selection)[link]

Awards[link]

• 1985: Goldene Stimmgabel, Most successful composer and producer
• 1989: People's Artist of the USSR
• 1998: VIVA Comet – Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2001: Top Of The Pops Award, Top Artist Germany
• 2003: German Book Prize, Second accoding to the public audience
• 2003: Goldene Feder
• 2003: Media Control Award, 25 Jahre Media Control
• 2003: GQ Man Of The Year
• 2003: Unsere Besten, position #30 as the greatest German ever
• 2003: Bambi, Pop National
• 2004: Echo, best national producer
• 2004: Echo, Single of the year We have a dream
• 2008: Platin-Otto, Lifetime achievement award

Literature[link]

By Bohlen[link]

• Dieter Bohlen, Katja Kessler: Nichts als die Wahrheit, Heyne, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-453-86143-4
• Dieter Bohlen, Katja Kessler: Hinter den Kulissen, Blanvalet, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-89830-698-4
• Dieter Bohlen: Meine Hammer-Sprüche, Heyne, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-453-60045-2
• Dieter Bohlen: Nur die Harten kommen in den Garten! Der Weg zum Superstar, Heyne, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-453-60101-7
• Dieter Bohlen: Der Bohlenweg – Planieren statt Sanieren, Heyne 2008, ISBN 978-3-453-15535-0; also as audio by Random House Audio, spoken by Dieter Bohlen, ISBN 978-3-86604-965-9

About Bohlen[link]

• Reginald Rudorf, Frank Farian, Dieter Kaltwasser: Stupid Dieser Bohlen. Die Wahrheit und nichts als die Wahrheit über den Pop-Hochstapler, Franks Kleiner Buchverlag, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-9809531-0-6

Trivia[link]

• Dieter Bohlen is left-handed, but was forced to learn how to write with his right hand at grammar school. He plays tennis with his left hand because he started tennis after his school years.

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://www.laut.de/wortlaut/artists/b/bohlen_dieter/
• Dieter Bohlen discography at Discogs